There’s a new enlistment program coming that offers short (19 month) enlistments across the military (plus the remainder of an eight year term as a member of the Inactive Ready Reserve… so you get dibs on the next war):

“Congress authorized the National Call to Service enlistment option as part of the fiscal 2003 National Defense Authorization Act.
“Bob Clark, assistant director in DoD’s accession policy directorate, said the program would allow the military services a new option to reach a group of young Americans who otherwise might not serve due to the length of traditional enlistment options.
“The program will work like this: A recruit enlists for the option and incurs a 15-month active duty service obligation following completion of initial-entry training, for a total active duty commitment of about 19 months.”

I remember the two year enlistees and how despised they were by older soldiers who didn’t see the use in kicking someone loose after a mere two years. Some arrived with a short-timer mentality and kept it the whole time. Since a universal condition of soldiery is bitter hatred of the younger crop, this ought to inspire much kvetching as “all the god-damn college soldiers” come and go.